Under-17 soccer tournament in Tijuana canceled

TIJUANA 
The majority of cases of swine flu may be nearly 2,000 miles away in Mexico City, but soccer officials in Tijuana are taking no chances and canceled the remainder of the regional under-17 men's championships there.

CONCACAF, the region's soccer governing body, made the announcement early this afternoon, citing “the growing concerns about the outbreak of swine flu in Mexico.” The eight-team tournament serves as a qualifier for the under-17 World Championships in October in Nigeria.

The semifinals were scheduled for Wednesday and the final for Saturday. Soldout crowds were expected both days at 13,333-seat Estadio Caliente, which is located on the grounds of the Caliente race track.

CONCACAF caught a break, though, in that the semis and final were essentially meaningless. Because the region gets four berths in the U-17 World Championships, the four semifinalists all qualify no matter the outcome. And on Sunday, the tournament had finalized the recipients of the four berths with the conclusion of group play: the United States, Mexico, Costa Rica and Honduras.

The U.S. team is in the process of traveling across the border to San Diego this afternoon, according to a U.S. Soccer spokesman. The team is based in Bradenton, Fla., and is expected to fly back today or tomorrow.

“Our primary concern is the safety of our athletes and all the other athletes in Tijuana,” U.S. Soccer spokesman Neil Buethe said. “If CONCACAF thinks it is appropriate to cancel the remainder of the tournament, we support that decision.”

CONCACAF also postponed the second leg of the CONCACAF Champions League, the region's annual club championship. Mexican clubs Cruz Azul and Atlante were scheduled to play Wednesday night in Cancun. The match has been tentatively rescheduled for May 12.

The CONCACAF Beach Championship that is supposed to begin Wednesday in Puerto Vallarta, a CONCACAF release said, “is under review with a final decision expected Tuesday.”